For artisans, professional painters, and do-it-yourself property owners or property managers, there is the ever present problem of keeping up with refurbishing chores in connection with painted or otherwise finished surfaces i.e. walls, ceilings, and so forth, or of simply finishing new walls and the like. The term "paint" in "paint roller" as used herein refers to any type of liquid, be the same an enamel paint, a latex-type paint, stains, and so forth, in other words, any type of liquid that is or can be used by a roller for application of the same to a surface to be finished.
Commonly, paint rollers include an inner tube and an outer nap secured to such tube by an appropriate adhesive or by other means. The nap may be a carpet-like material, can be tufted, fibrous, or form any type of outer covering that is suitable to carry and apply paint or other finishing materials. The usual paint applicator includes a revolvable cylinder member and a handle secured thereto, the revolvable cylinder member being inserted in the inner tube of the paint roller for rotatable advance of the latter over a wall or other surface to be finished. There are several procedures extent for cleaning the roller once the same has been used. A common step is to remove the paint roller from the applicator and either dip the same in a pail of solvent or other cleaning medium, swishing the same about until the nap is essentially free of the paint used. Familiar to householders is the chore of hosing off the paint roller and shaking the same out over an unused yard area; frequently the hand must be used to "twist out" the solvent carrying paint roller so that the same is freed of the paint and allowed to dry. This is a somewhat messy operation and, furthermore, the roller is not likely to become very clean.
Another approach is of course to discard the paint roller and buy a new one. This is expensive, particularly for high-quality rollers with fluffy naps that are used for applying various textures to walls and ceilings.
While closable storage devices are known, i.e. those suitable for storing a wet roller for a period of time against immediate dry-out by ambient air, no devices are known, nor is there acquaintance with any patent literature, teaching a method and structure for cleaning paint rollers by employment of a plunger device.